


Wanna Study?

by TripCreates



Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Clint Barton-centric, Deaf Clint Barton, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, Natasha Romanov Knows All, POV Clint Barton, Pining, Post-Serum Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-04
Updated: 2016-09-04
Packaged: 2018-08-12 22:26:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7951564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TripCreates/pseuds/TripCreates
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After slacking off his first semester, Clint realizes he needs to get serious about his grades or he’ll lose his archery scholarship. His classes shouldn't be a problem except for his American History class. Enter Steve Rogers who’s about to turn his world around.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LadyHawke72](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyHawke72/gifts).



> Here's my last commission fic for ladyhawke72! I deeply apologize for how long this took to finish and post. Once I started writing, the fic just kept going and ended up way longer than I originally thought. But I hope you enjoy this! I had a great time writing a story with Clint as the lead because despite him being one of my favorite characters, I haven't gotten around to writing for him. This was also my first time writing this ship but I enjoyed it as well. 
> 
> This was inspired by [this prompt](http://ladyhawke72.tumblr.com/post/147560934751/ladyhawke72-adamantsteve-clintcoulson) but I changed it to fit this ship instead.
> 
> I know nothing about collegiate archery. Any names or places were taken from the little research I did. Please forgive my mistakes.
> 
> All comments and kudos are appreciated. I hope you enjoy!

> _Dear Mr. Barton,_
> 
> _We are writing to you today to inform you that in order for you to receive National Field Archery Association Foundation Scholarship for the next academic year, your GPA must be a 2.5 If you do not raise your GPA by the end of the current spring semester, you will lose this scholarship._
> 
> _If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us._

Clint crumbled up the letter and tossed it into the trashcan across his room. Okay so maybe he didn’t take his first semester as seriously as he should but he couldn’t be the only freshman that did that. But it seemed his goofing up caught up with him with serious consequences. If he lost this scholarship, there would be no more college for him because he couldn’t afford it with just his other financial aid.

After a few minutes of calming down, Clint rose from his bed and walked over to the trashcan and took out the letter. He smoothed it out and read it again. He wasn’t too far below the required GPA so maybe all hope wasn’t lost yet. If he worked hard this semester and got A’s and B’s, he should be able to raise it enough to keep the scholarship. He carried the letter over to his desk and pinned it to the corkboard next to it as a reminder. But that would be tomorrow’s problem. For now, he needed to clear his head and there was only one way to do the trick.

 

Clint nocked the arrow and raised the bow, taking a dep breath. With ease, he released the arrow and hit the target dead center. Archery was the only thing that made sense for Clint and gave his life a purpose. It wasn’t just a hobby for him. If he hadn’t taken it up, he knew he would have been in jail by now on some petty crime like his brother. It was the only reason he was attending college.

But college was never his priority. One, he didn’t think he could actually get through it. He didn’t grow up with supportive parents telling he could make it in life and that a college degree was the way to do it. Two, he didn’t know what he was going to do with a college degree if he got it. The only thing that interested him about college as collegiate archery and how it could help him get to the Olympics. Beyond that, he didn’t have any plans for his life. Planning ahead never worked for him after bring constantly shuffled around in the foster home system until he was eighteen. Clint never saw the point in trying because he learned early on there was no point in trying. It was a mindset he needed to get out of but it was hard after spending over ten years thinking that way.

It was late in the afternoon when Clint called it a day. He locked up his gear and checked his messages before leaving the range. There was a text from Natasha asking if he wanted to get dinner. Maybe hanging out with his best friend for the night wouldn’t be a bad idea. He would get serious about school the next day and start fresh.

* * *

 

Nearly a month passed by and Clint was doing better in his classes, for the most part at least. Making it to his eight AM American History class was still a pain. It didn’t matter how many alarms he set, to his roommate’s annoyance, he could not wake up early enough.

It was Monday morning and as usual, Clint was late to his class but not late enough to skip getting a cup of coffee on the way. He slipped inside the room just before the door closed but unfortunately, the only seats available were at the back of the lecture room. Even with his hearing aid, Clint still had trouble hearing everything from way back there. It didn’t help the professor wasn’t as accommodating as he should have been either. This was the main reason Clint didn’t care too much for this class and was doing poorly in it. If the professor didn’t seem to care about him, why should he care?

As the professor started his lecture, Clint pulled out his notebook and textbook to try and follow along. He did his best to pay attention but World War II did not hold his attention. Didn’t he learn enough about this in high school? Before he knew it, Clint zoned and missed most of what Professor Ross said.

Clint came back to reality when everyone around him started packing away their books.

“Before you leave, pick up your midterm study guide,” Professor Ross announced over the noise.

Clint only caught about half of what he said but followed the other students as they filed down to the front of the room, grabbing a copy before leaving. Clint glanced over the study guide as he left the room and realized he was in deep trouble. There weren’t just simple multiple choice questions about important dates and names, there were also mini essay questions. It was clear major studying was needed to pass this midterm. Clint shoved the study guide into his backpack and made his way to his next class.

After his last class that evening, Clint decided to go to the library to try studying. It wasn’t his usual place to study but thought the change would help him focus better. He found a secluded table on the fourth floor to stay away from as ay people as possible. He even went a step further and removed his hearing aids to cut out any background music.

Clint spent the rest of the evening studying. He regretted not taking better notes in class as he tried to go back through the reading assignments to figure out what he’d missed. He wasted a lot of time because of this and he realized it was going to take a miracle for him to pass this exam.

It was after eleven when Clint called it a night. He still had an English paper to finish that was due the following afternoon and he was only halfway done with it. As he started packing away his notes, he saw movement close by from the corner of his eye. He glanced up to see Steve from his history class approaching. After a quick look around him, Clint realized Steve was headed straight for him. He was confused as to why Steve would want to talk to him since they hardly said two words to each other, but he wasn’t going to complain. He’d thought Steve was hot the first time they had class but he never got up the nerve to talk to him.

Just before Steve reached the table, Clint remembered to slip his hearing aids back in.

“Hey, it’s Clint right?” Steve asked, stopping in front of Clint’s table.

Clint nodded, surprised Steve knew who he was. It was a large class and there’s no way to know everyone. “And you’re Steve?” Of course Clint already knew that but he didn’t want Steve to think he was a weird stalker or something.

“That’s right. I see you’ve been studying for the midterm,” Steve said, gesturing to Clint’s textbook.

Clint’s gaze dropped down to the book. “Yeah, I really need to pass this one so I can pass the class. If not, I’m really screwed,” he replied as he looked back up at Steve. As soon as he said that, he wished he hadn’t. He didn’t Steve to think he was stupid. Steve was really good in the class and always participated in the class discussions, even arguing with Professor Ross every now and then. That was always fun to see because Steve wasn’t afraid to back down from a confrontation.

“Nothing wrong with getting an early start. I was just doing some studying myself. If you need some help, maybe we can study together?” Steve asked.

“You’re offering to tutor me or something?” Clint asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

“If you need some help I don’t mind tutoring or you can look at it as being a study session. I’ve found it easier to study with someone else than alone,” Steve said.

Clint gazed up at Steve as he thought it over. Steve seemed sincere about the offer but while Clint could use the help, he wasn’t used to people freely offering it. “Don’t see how it could hurt,” Clint eventually said. “A study session sounds good.” It was not going to be _tutoring._

Steve smiled. “When are you free this week?

“How about Friday at five?”

“Works for me,” Steve said, nodding. “Want to meet out front of the library and we and the find a room?”

“Sure, that’s fine with me.”

Steve swung his backpack around to the front and unzipped the front pocket. He pulled out a pen as he said, “Let me give you my number just in case something comes up for you and we need to reschedule.” He leaned down and scribbled his number on a page of Clint’s open notebook.

As Steve leaned back, Clint picked up his pencil and wrote his number down. He tore the strip out and handed it up to Steve. “That way you have mine as well,” he said.

“Thanks,” Steve said, taking the paper and tucking it away in his pocket. He zipped his backpack up and readjusted it on his shoulder. “It was nice you, Clint.”

“See ya,” Clint said. He sat there for a moment and watched Steve, and his perfect body, walk away. Once he was gone, Clint finished packing away his stuff and made his way back to his dorm, not believing what just happened. Studying the library seemed to have worked out quite well for him.

 

Clint missed American History on Wednesday due to oversleeping and was late again to class on Friday. As he took a seat in the back, he scanned the rows for Steve. He found him in the middle of the class glancing right back at him. As they locked eyes, Steve gave him a quick smile before turning back around to face Professor Ross. If Clint was the blushing type, he might have then. He continued to stare down at Steve until he was pulled back to reality when the lecture started. He grabbed out his notebook and did his best to pay attention.

Steve was standing outside the classroom when Clint exited, which surprised him since Steve normally was gone as soon as class was over. Steve was talking to another classmate but Clint was sure they were friends as well.

When Steve saw Clint, he waved to get his attention. “Hey, Clint, we still on for tonight?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’ll be there,” Clint replied, stopping in front of Steve.

“Okay good, just wanted to make sure. I’ve got to head to my next class but I’ll see you tonight.”

Steve, and the other guy he was with, were already walking away before Clint could reply so he watched him walk down the crowded hallway. He thought it was odd how friendly Steve was being toward him. Maybe it was just his insecurities talking, but Clint now wondered if meeting up with Steve was a good idea. He didn’t really know Steve at all and he just approached him out of nowhere to study together. Could this be the set up to some kind of prank? _No_ , Clint told himself, _Steve didn’t seem like that kind of guy._

For the rest of the day, Clint debated on whether he should go to the library that evening or not. By the time he was out of his last at 4:45, he had decided to just go. He needed the help with the class and he would only make things worse for himself if he didn’t go. If he got there and started feeling uneasy, he could leave. He stopped by the campus coffee stand and grabbed a cup. His lack of sleep the past few days was kicking in and he hoped he could stay awake during this.

Steve was already waiting outside the library when Clint arrived a few minutes after five. “Sorry if I kept you waiting long. I had to grab some coffee,” Clint said as he reached Steve.

“It’s all right. I haven’t been here long. Shall we go in?” Steve asked.

Clint had a feeling Steve had been fifteen minutes early and was patiently waiting for him but wasn’t going to say anything about him being late. “After you.” Clint followed Steve into the building and suppressed his groan when Steve choose to take the stairs instead of the elevator to the fourth floor. It wasn’t that he was lazy, he just didn’t like climbing all those stairs.

Once they reached the fourth floor, Steve led the way to the study rooms, finding one that was unoccupied. “Is this one okay?” he asked, glancing back at Clint.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Clint replied, trying to make sure he didn’t sound too winded from the climb. All the rooms were the same so it didn’t really matter to him.

Steve entered the room and flipped on the lights. Clint stepped in after him and dropped his bag on the floor, sliding into the closet chair, while Steve took the chair opposite him. After they pulled out their books and notes, Clint glanced across the table and waited for Steve to take the lead.

“I guess we can start by looking over the study guide and see which ones we know,” Steve said, pulling the pages out of his notebook.

Clint had already looked over his and hardly knew any of it, but he still looked over it again. “I might know number five?” he said, after staring at the paper for a couple of minutes.

“Okay then let’s start with number one and see how far we get. We don’t have to cover it all tonight,” Steve said.

Clint listened and followed along with Steve has he explained the major events of World War II. He wrote down the important dates and military people involved. Steve was actually pretty good at making the material easier for Clint to comprehend. He certainly preferred him over Professor Ross any day.  But regardless of what a good tutor Steve was, Clint found himself being distracted by him. While lip reading helped Clint, it was now providing an excuse to stare at Steve’s mouth but he wasn’t focusing on what he had to say about The Battle of Normandy.

 

It was about eight when they finished for the night. Clint felt like he’s made some progress but was still nowhere near ready for the midterm.

“Want to meet again next Friday?” Steve asked.

“That might be for the best and we can go a little longer if we need too. I don’t mind,” Clint said.

“Did you need to borrow my notes to get what you missed on Wednesday?”

“If you don’t mind, that would be great,” Clint replied.

Steve handed him all his notes. “You can borrow them all in case there were some other days you missed. I don’t really need them.”

Clint took the notebook. “Thanks,” he said, putting it in his backpack with the rest of his stuff.

“No problem,” Steve said, smiling.

They left the study room and walked together back toward the stairs.

“So, what’s your major?” Steve asked.

“Liberal Arts Studies,” replied Clint. “How about you?” he asked, as they reached the stairs.

“Art and a History minor.” He glanced over at Clint and said, “I didn’t think anyone actually did a Liberal Arts Studies major.”

Clint looked over at Steve and shrugged. He was already used to people saying similar things about his major. “Nothing else really interested me so I went with that. I’m mainly here for archery so that’s my focus. I didn’t really care what I studied.”

“Archery, huh? I didn’t realize we had a team here.”

Clint nodded. “That’s the response most people give for that. It’s not something a lot of people are interested in compared to all the other sports.”

“That’s really cool though,” Steve insisted.

“I wouldn’t have pegged you for an art student,” Clint said, taking the focus off of him.

Steve chuckled as they reached the bottom of the stairs. “I get that a lot. Most people assume I’m some kind of athlete.”

 _With a body like that who could blame them_ , Clint thought. “I guess that’s what happens when people assume things. They’re usually wrong,” he said.

Steve nodded. “That’s why it’s always good to get to know someone.” As they exited the library, they realized they were going in opposite directions. “I’ll see you Monday in class. Have a good weekend, Clint,” he said.

“You too. See ya, Steve,” Clint said before they went their separate ways.

One study session down and it hadn’t gone horribly wrong. This was a good sign.


	2. Chapter 2

“Want to hang out tonight and maybe catch the movie they’re showing on campus?” Natasha asked as her and Clint walked to the Student Union for lunch the following Friday.

“Love to but can’t. I’ve got a study session,” Clint said as they enter the building.

“You’re actually studying?” Natasha turned to him, surprised. She’d tried getting him to take his studies seriously since they started last semester to no avail.

They took a spot in line at the pizza place. It wasn’t Clint’s favorite by any means but it was still pizza. “I’ve got to or else I’ll fail and lose my main scholarship.”

“I’m not judging you for studying. If you needed help that badly, you could have come to me and I would have helped,” Natasha said.

“It’s fine, Nat. I mostly needed help with American History and a guy from class offered to help. It’s no big deal,” he replied.

“That’s nice of him to offer. Maybe we can see the movie tomorrow night?” Natasha asked.

“Let’s do that. I need a break from all this studying,” Clint replied before stepping up to order.

Natasha laughed. “Wow, one study session and it’s already too much for you,” she teased.

Clint elbowed her and said, “It’s the second one thank you very much.”

 

Steve was first to the library again and gave Clint a friendly wave as he approached. Clint was starting to like seeing Steve outside of class like this. They didn’t know a lot about each other yet but Clint was beginning to enjoy his company, that didn’t happen very often for him. Clint tended to stick to just the couple of friends he already had.

“Ready for another night of studying?” Steve asked once Clint reached him.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Clint replied.

 

They finished up around ten that night after getting through the rest of the study guide. Clint did his best to pay attention to what Steve was saying as opposed to just admiring him all night.

“Do you have any plans for spring break?” Steve asked as they packed away their stuff.

Clint looked up at him, brow creasing in confusion. “Wait, when’s spring break?”

“Next Week! Don’t tell me you forgot,” Steve said with a chuckle.

Clint shook his head. “It honestly slipped my mind since I’ve been so busy,” Clint said. He really couldn’t believe he forgot it. He must have zoned out in his classes today and missed the professors reminding him.

“Sounds like you really need the week off to relax,” Steve said, rising from his chair. He swung his backpack over his shoulder and headed for the door.

Clint followed suit. “I’ll just be here finishing an English paper,” he said as they made their way toward the stairs.

Steve frowned. “I hope that’s not all you’re going to do over break. Don’t you have family to visit?”

“No,” Clint quickly replied, keeping his face expression blank and eyes ahead of him. He did not want to discuss his family with Steve.

Steve got the hint and dropped the subject. An awkward silence fell between them as they descended the stairs.

Steve was the first to break the silence as they reached the door. “Well, good luck with your paper. Try to have some fun,” he said.

Clint nodded and said, “Thanks. Have a good break too.” He turned and quickly walked away without waiting for Steve to reply.

Once he was a good distance away from the library and Steve, Clint slowed his pace. He wasn’t sure why he reacted that way to Steve asking about his family. He thought it was over it by now but even after ten years, he still didn’t like talking about it with anyone. Part of him was worried about how Steve would think about him if he knew about his childhood. Clint hadn’t even told Natasha about all of it and she was his best friend.

Clint was also worried Steve would pity him if he knew how he was orphaned as a child and grew up in and out of foster homes. He’d met plenty of people over the years that did and pity was the last thing he wanted from them. It was just better if no one knew and that’s what he decided to do when he started college. He was out of Iowa and starting over. No sense in trying to bring up the past.

* * *

 

The following evening, Clint met up with Natasha to watch _Die Hard_ on campus. They could always go for an action or spy movie. He was hoping this would be a nice distraction from how last night ended.

“How’d the studying go last night?” Natasha asked as they took their seats.

“Good, I think. Steve has been a great tutor and way better than the professor,” Clint replied, tossing some popcorn in his mouth.

“Hopefully that means you won’t have a problem passing the midterm,” she said, taking a handful of the popcorn and tossed a piece into her mouth.

Clint nodded. “I’m thinking of asking if he wants to see me again. For some more studying before the final that is,” he quickly added before shoving a handful of popcorn in his mouth.

Natasha looked at him, raising an eyebrow.” Uh-huh, so, do you like Steve?”

“What?” he asked with his mouth still half full with popcorn.

“You heard me,” Natasha said.

Clint swallowed the popcorn “Why would you ask me that?”

Natasha cocked her head to the side gave him a half-smile. “Because you blew me off to study with his guy and yes, I know you’re doing it to pass you class _but_ ,” she said, pausing when Clint opened his mouth to argue. “Are you going to let me finish?”

Clint closed his mouth and nodded for her to continue. He had a feeling he wasn’t going to like what she was about to say.

“There’s nothing wrong with liking him. You deserve to find someone, Clint.”

Before Clint could respond, the lights dimmed for the movie to begin. And thanks to her words, he spent the whole movie thinking about Steve and whether he did like him or not.

He had his answer by the end of the movie but he wasn’t particularly thrilled about it but he didn’t mention it to Natasha. He was keeping this to himself for a while so he could sort it all out.

 

When Clint awoke on Sunday, he headed straight to the range. He’s barely put in any practice time over the past week but he mostly needed the mental distraction from his thoughts about Steve. He figured everyone else was gone for break as well and would have the place all to himself.

Clint arrived at the range and made his way to the lockers. It was quiet just like he hoped it would be. After retrieving his bow and some arrows, he made his way to the target area. But as he nocked the first arrow and raised the bow, all his thoughts about Steve from the previous night came back to him.

He couldn’t like Steve. He just couldn’t. Steve Rogers was smart, popular, way too good looking and all around perfect. Clint was none of these things nor did he deserved someone like Steve. Besides, there was no way Steve liked him in return, he was way out of his league. Clint couldn’t let Steve find out about his growing feelings because he didn’t want to make things awkward between them. So he decided he would continue the rest of the semester without the other knowing. He doubted he’d ever come across Steve on campus again so it would be okay and he’s feelings would fade once he didn’t Steve for a while.

It was an easy solution. Hell, Clint probably only liked Steve because they were just spending time alone together and it’d been awhile since Clint was with anyone. The feelings would probably lessen over spring break once he was away from Steve for a week. Clint was sure of it.

 

However, Clint learned it wouldn’t be as easy to ignore his feelings when classes started back after break. It started when he arrived to History a few minutes early that following Monday morning for the midterm. It was a shock even to himself. Clint made his way up to his usual spot in the back when he heard Steve call his name. He turned to see Steve smiling and waving him over.

“I saved you a seat,” he said, gesturing the empty seat next to him.

Clint stood there for a moment before walking back down to where Steve was sitting. “Thanks,” he said, dropping down into the chair.

“No problem at all. I thought you might run late so I decided to save one for you,” Steve said, still smiling at him.

Clint gave him a half-smile in return. “Am I really that predictable?”

Steve shrugged and said, “Hopefully not.” Before Clint had time to think about that over, Steve continued. “By the way, this is my friend, Bucky,” he said, gesturing to the guy on the other side of him.

Clint recognized him as the guy Steve was talking to the day of their first study session. He gave him a wave as Bucky nodded, giving him an interesting look that Clint couldn’t figure out.

“Did you have a good break? I hope you didn’t work too hard,” Steve said.

Clint turned his attention back to Steve. “It wasn’t too bad. I got caught up on my assignments in between Nat dragging me out of my dorm to do stuff with her,” Clint answered.

“Is Nat your girlfriend?” Steve asked with slight hesitation in his voice.

“No,” Clint replied with a laugh. “She’s my best friend. How was your break?”

“It was pretty good. Me and some friends went out of town and had a great time. I wasn’t looking forward to coming back to this midterm though,” Steve replied.

Clint sighed. “I’m ready to get it over with and put myself out of my misery,” he said.

As if on cue, Professor Ross entered the room, closing the door loudly behind him. He gave the class his usual stern look as he passed out the test. “You have until the end of class to complete this. Your time starts now.”

 

Clint was one of the last students to finish the exam. The room was nearly empty as he walked to the front of the room and dropped the test on the table in front of the professor. When he exited the room, he was surprised to see Steve sitting across the hall, reading a textbook. Bucky was beside him, checking something on his phone.

Steve looked up at him as Clint closed the door. “How did you do?” he asked, closing his book to give Clint his full attention.

Clint sighed as he walked over to Steve. “I have no idea. We’ll have to wait and see. Were you…waiting for me?”

Steve shifted in his seat. “Um…yes? I wanted to see how you did and maybe see if you wanted to grab lunch later?”

“I’d love too but I already promised Natasha I’d meet her,” Clint lied.

“Oh,” Steve said, his face falling. “That’s all right. Maybe another time?”

“Sure I’ve got to get to my next class. I’ll see you around,” Clint replied, starting to step away. He needed to get away fast.

“I’ll see you in class Wednesday,” Steve said as Clint continued to walk away.

Clint was mad at himself and the only person to blame was himself. Steve actually asked to see him outside of class and study sessions but all Clint did was turn him down. What was wrong with him? As he turned the corner, Clint pulled his phone out of his pocket and texted Natasha, asking if she wanted to get lunch.

 

“So, let me get this straight, you like Steve. Steve asks you out to lunch and you turned him down? What the hell is wrong with you, Clint?” Natasha asked, sliding into a chair.

Clint set his food down on the table and took the chair across from her. “I don’t know. That’s why I wanted to talk to you about it,” he said, slumping his shoulders. He was already beginning to regret telling her about his problems with Steve.

Natasha picked up her burger but sighed, setting it back down. “Can I be honest with you?”

Clint snorted. “When are you _not_ honest with me?”

Natasha rolled her eyes. “I think you’re intentionally sabotaging your chances with Steve because you don’t think you’re good enough for him.”

Clint dropped his gaze down to his pizza. Was that what he was doing?

“I’m only saying it because I care about you, Clint. You deserve to be with someone.” Natasha continued as he sat there in silence. Clint picked up his pizza and took a bit to avoid replying. “You can’t avoid me with pizza forever. Just think about it, okay? I don’t want you pushing someone away that could make you happy.”

Clint set the pizza down and looked up at her, sighing. “I don’t even know what to say to him.”

Natasha laughed as she laid her hand on top of his. “You’re so hopeless,” she said, shaking her head.

Clint rolled his eyes. “Well, are you to help me or just keep laughing?”

“Don’t worry, I’m going to help.”

* * *

 

It wasn’t until the following week when the graded midterms were returned that Clint approached Steve. He walked up to Steve as they exited the classroom and showed him his graded midterm.

“I got a B! Can you believe it?” Clint exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. Normally, he would have been lucky to get maybe a C.

Steve smiled back at him. “That’s awesome, Clint. I’m glad you did well.”

“Our study sessions really paid off. What did you make?”

“I go an A,” Steve replied, shyly.

Clint nodded and said, “Figures but that’s great.” He continued to gaze at Steve and realized this would be a great time to ask him to hang out like Natasha had suggested. But in his nervousness, he asked, “So I was wondering if you wanted to keep the study sessions going? Just since it’s obvious you were a big help with this exam.”

Steve looked disappointed for a brief moment but he brightened up when he said, “Yeah, that sounds good. I like our study sessions. We can do weekly reviews so we don’t have to prepare too hard before the final.”

“There’s no way I could get less than a B in the class then. Might even be able to get an A,” Clint said.

“I’ll see you Friday,” Steve said, before putting the textbook in his bag and turned to Bucky.

Clint headed off in the other direction. While he meant to ask him Steve to do something besides studying, least he’ll still get to see him every week outside of class. He could work up the courage later on to ask again. Natasha might not be happy about it when she found out but least it was better than not asking him at all.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok some quick warnings for this chapter. Mentions of other characters drinking and talk of parents dying during the second half of this chapter. Neither go into great detail but still wanted to put that out there just in case.

The Friday night study sessions became Clint’s favorite part of the week and he look forward to them. Steve never seemed bothered by spending the evening with him, which surprised Clint. He knew Steve was a popular guy which plenty of friends he could have been hanging out with. Whenever he saw Steve around campus, he was with a different set of people. Surely the other man had more fun things to do besides spend every Friday night with him.

Natasha kept telling him this was a sign that Steve liked him, otherwise he would have declined. Clint still didn’t want to believe her though. If she was right, that meant he had a chance and Clint still wasn’t sure if he was ready for that. But this didn’t stop Clint from imaging what it would be like if they dated. His favorite one was being at an archery tournament and looking up into the stands to see Steve there supporting him. He told Natasha a lot but he kept this one to himself.

March rolled into April which brought with it an archery tournament for Clint. It was out of town which meant that he had to leave Friday afternoon after class, missing the study session with Steve.

As American History wrapped up and Clint slid his books into his backpack, he turned to Steve and said, “I’ve got to cancel our study session tonight. I’ve got to go out of town for a tournament this weekend.”

“That’s not a problem. Where’s it going to be at?” Steve asked, rising from his seat and slinging his backpack on his shoulder.

“It’s down in Jersey at Atlantic Cape Community College,” Clint replied, standing up as well.

“I wish you the best of luck,” Steve said as they walked toward the door.

“Thanks, I’ll be back Sunday night so I won’t be gone for long,” Clint said, pushing the door open.

Steve followed. “So it’s a two-day event?” he asked.

“Yeah but I’m just participating the first day.”

Steve nodded along. “Have a safe trip there and it goes well for you. See you later, Clint.”

“See ya,” Clint said as they went their separate ways.

 

The rest of the day passed by in a blur for Clint. The tournament was all he cared about. He was excused from his last class of the day and headed back to his dorm to pack. As usual, Clint had waited until the last minute to pack.

Natasha stopped by his dorm before it was time for him to leave. “I’ll be there in the morning,” she said.

“I appreciate you coming, Nat. It means a lot,” Clint said. He wasn’t used to having someone there for him at these events.

“It’s what friends do for each other. Just make sure it’s worth my time and gas,” she teased.

“Do I ever disappoint?” he asked.

Natasha pretended to think it over for a moment then asked, “In general or at archery?”

“Oh ha ha. You know I meant archery. My life is a disappointment but not that,” Clint replied.

Natasha laughed. “Get some sleep. I’ll see you there.” She gave him a hug and a peck on the cheek before leaving.

He finished stuffing the last essentials into his duffel bag before leaving his dorm. The rest of the team was already together by the time he arrived.

“Late again, Barton,” Kate said as he approached. “We were just about to leave without you.”

“Very funny, Bishop,” Clint replied, knocking her arm with his elbow.

Soon, the team captain stepped up and instructed everyone to load up in the vans. Clint and Kate took the back seat of the first van as it was their favorite spot when they traveled. Once the vans were all loaded and pulled out of campus, it was mostly a quiet ride between them as Kate slipped on her headphones and listened to music along the way. Clint didn’t mind. He enjoyed it and didn’t mind when she rested her head against his shoulder, falling asleep. It didn’t take long for Clint to fall asleep as well.

 

The tournament went off without a hitch the next morning. Clint’s event was mid-morning and he was glad he didn’t have an early time. It gave him more time to fully awake up without having to drink too much coffee. Naturally, he took first place. He wasn’t one for gloating but a small of him enjoyed the looks of surprise he got from some of the newer participates.

Once Clint was done with his event, he was free to do whatever the rest of the day. He made his way into the stands to find Natasha. He was surprised to see her sitting there talking to none other than Steve Rogers. Clint stopped dead in his tracks seeing his best friend just casually talking to his crush.

Steve was facing Clint’s direction and his eyes soon glanced his way past Natasha and he waved. Natasha turned around her to shot him a mischievous grin. “Move your ass, Clint,” she called out.

Clint walked over to them, dreading to know what Natasha had been talking about with Steve.

“Surprised to see me?” Steve asked, smiling up at him.

“A little,” Clint replied. He was completely surprised. He glanced to Natasha and expected for her to be the reason Steve was there.

“Don’t look at me. I didn’t invite him,” she said. “This is the first time we’ve met.”

“She’s right,” Steve said. “I wanted to surprise you.”

Clint slowly looked back to Steve. “Well, thanks for coming. You didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to,” Steve said firmly, giving Clint a smiled. “I assumed you were good at this but not this good. I was really impressed.”

Clint mumbled, “Thank you.” He wasn’t used to compliments and didn’t know how to handle them.

“How about we continue this conversation over lunch? I’m starving,” Natasha said. “I saw a seemingly nice looking sushi restaurant driving into town.” Clint groaned at her suggestion. “I’m tired of pizza, Clint. I need a break from it and this time I’m picking. Care to join us, Steve?”

“Sure, I’ll join you,” he replied.

“Do you want to ride with us or follow?” Natasha asked.

“I’ll take a ride if you don’t mind.”

Natasha stood up and turned to face Clint so that Steve couldn’t see her mouth, “I bet he would like to.” She winked at him before walked away. Clint glared at her. This why he didn’t want Natasha to meet Steve.

“Everything all right?” Steve asked, standing up, noticing the look on Clint’s face.

Clint found it hard to look at Steve and looked anywhere but him. “Just fine. Let’s get going before she leaves without us.”

Natasha drove the in her car to the restaurant. She led the conversation as they drove, getting to know Steve as much as she could. Lunch was good though Natasha took every chance she could to mouth inappropriate things at Clint about Steve. He was glad Steve didn’t seem to notice because he did not need that kind of embarrassment right now.

They returned to the tournament once they done. Kate joined them in the stands once she was finished. It was a nice and relaxing day for Clint with his friends and he enjoyed it.

Natasha and Steve stayed until the end of the day. Once they were gone, Kate turned to Clint and asked, “Was that your boyfriend?”

“What? No, we’re not dating,” Clint quickly replied.

Kate looked at him, eyebrows raised in surprise. “Could have fooled me with the way he looked at you the whole time. Why aren’t you dating? He’s pretty cute.”

“Mind your own business,” he replied, walking away. He was already getting this from Natasha and he wasn’t about to hear it from Kate too.

* * *

 

Things returned to their normal routine after the tournament. Clint wondered how thing would be between him and Steve but it didn’t seem to have changed much. He didn’t know if he surprised or disappointed. Natasha swore that it meant something that Steve showed up to see him. Clint brushed it off, not wanting it to think too much about it. He eventually pushed it out of his mind until one Friday night when Steve asked him out to a party.

It was getting close to finals. Clint was starting to feel the pressure not just in history, but all of his classes. He was in need of a break soon.

Steve closed his textbook, grabbing Clint’s attention.

“Is it time to go already?” Clint asked, checking the time on his phone. It was only nine and with it being close to finals, it seemed a little early to be stopping.

“Well, there’s this party I was invited to and I wanted to see if you wanted to go with me?” Steve asked, slowly meeting his gaze.

He seemed a bit shy asking and that threw Clint off. He didn’t think Steve would get shy about something like that. Clint stared at him for a moment, asking himself if he heard Steve right.

Steve took Clint’s silence as no. “If you want to keep studying or not go that’s fine. It’s just a thing my friends are having and I thought I might extend the offer to you. Thought you could use a little break,” he said.

“I’ll go,” Clint said, interrupting Steve’s rambling. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea. “You’re right. I could use a break.”

Steve smiled and said, “All right. We can drop out stuff off at our dorms and then I can take us over there. It’s off campus at my friend’s house. How’s that?”

“Works for me,” Clint said. He didn’t have his own way of getting to the party but he also wouldn’t mind riding with Steve.

Steve walked Clint to his dorm first before they headed to Steve’s so they leave. Clint waited outside Steve’s dorm while he went inside to drop off his backpack. Clint was surprised to see Steve return with two motorcycle helmets.

“I forgot to ask sooner but are you okay riding a motorcycle?” Steve asked.

Clint never would have thought of Steve being the type to ride a motorcycle but he loved the idea. It was all great until they reached Steve’s bike and Clint realized he would have to ride it glued to Steve’s back with his arms wrapped around his waist. He was glad Natasha wasn’t here to see this.

Clint was thankful it wasn’t a long ride to the party. As soon as Steve stopped in front of the house, Clint quickly pulled away from him and removed the helmet. Steve removed his and ran his hand through his hair to fix it.

“Here we are,” Steve said, glancing back at Clint over his shoulder.

Clint climbed off the bike first and waited until Steve was off before handing him the helmet. While Steve took care of them, Clint turned to look at the house. He could hear the loud bass of the music coming from it.

“Are we going in or are you going to stand out here all night?” Steve asked, bumping Clint with his shoulder.

“After you,” Clint said. He followed Steve up the walkway and into the house. Steve didn’t even bother to knock but with how loud the music was; Clint didn’t think anyone would have heard anyway.

There was a good amount of people inside but not enough to make it difficult to walk around. Clint was grateful for that. He realized he didn’t recognize anyone as he followed Steve throughout the house. Steve greeted everyone they passed. Clint couldn’t figure out how he became friends with such a popular guy.

As they neared the kitchen, Steve stopped walking and called out “Sam!” Clint nearly bumped into him, not expecting him to suddenly stop.

Somehow over all the noise, Sam heard Steve and turned toward them. A bright smile broke out over his face. “About damn time you got here,” Sam said as he walked toward them. He threw his arm around Steve’s shoulder for a quick hug. As he pulled away, Sam noticed Clint standing there. “Hi, I’m Sam,” he said, extending his hand.

Clint shook his hand and said, “Hey, I’m Clint.”

Sam nodded. “So, you’re the guy that’s been stealing Steve away from us every Friday night,” he said, grinning as he looked back Steve. Clint noticed Steve blush. “Let me grab you guys a drink. And yes, Steve, I know no beer. What about you, Clint?” Sam asked.

“Just a soda or anything nonalcoholic is fine,” replied Clint. Sam nodded and stepped into the kitchen. “Not into drinking?” Clint asked. He was glad to know Steve wasn’t drinking.

“Not really, which is why I’m always the designated driver. I don’t mind. I’d rather see all my friends get home safe,” Steve said.

Clint stared at him for a beat and said, “You’re a good friend, Steve.”

“I try to be,” Steve replied, giving him a look like it was no big deal. Clint thought that was endearing. “What about you? Just into drinking as well?” asked Steve.

“Oh, I just don’t care much for it,” he answered, dropping his gaze. That was another conversation he wasn’t comfortable having with people; even Steve.

“Nothing wrong with that,” Steve said, noticing how Clint’s body tensed. “We can be non-drinking buddies.” He shot him a bright smile to try and ease Clint.

Clint looked back up and before he could respond, Sam returned with two cans of Coke. “Tony made sure to get non-alcoholic drinks this time just for you, Steve,” Sam said, handing each of them a can.

“Thanks, Sam. And I’ll make sure to thank him later,” Steve said, popping his can open.

Another couple of guests pushed past them toward the kitchen, knocking into Clint. He was glad he hadn’t opened his drink yet or it would have gone all over Steve.

“How about we find somewhere else to talk?” Sam asked.

The three of them pushed their way toward an empty spot back in the living room, which served as their spot for the rest of the evening. Sam stayed with them for the majority of the time, telling Clint all kinds of stories about Steve, before he was pulled away. Steve was thoroughly embarrassed by the time he left and Clint enjoyed seeing him all flustered.

Other people gathered around Steve and talked to him as the night went on. Everyone was friendly toward Clint and included him in some of their conversations. He tried to be social as much as he could around the new people and told a few of his favorite jokes. Those received some good laughs which was great but as the night went on, Clint was getting bored. It’s not that he didn’t mind Steve’s friends, they were all lovely, but one could only take so much.

It was nearing midnight and the party didn’t seem like it would be ending anytime soon.

“Want to get out of here? Maybe take a walk or something?” Steve asked, leaning in close to Clint so that he could hear him over the music.

“I don’t want to take you away from the party and your friends,” Clint replied, even though he would much rather spend some time alone with Steve.

“Clint, I’m the one who asked.”

“Alright,” Clint said. He couldn’t really argue with that. He tossed his second soda can away and the two of them left the house. Clint instantly felt better as they stepped out, putting the loud party behind him. He stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets and walked next to Steve down to the road. “You sure you don’t mind?” he asked, needing the reassurance. He couldn’t help but feel like Steve was doing this more for his benefit and Clint didn’t want to be stealing him away from everyone as Sam had put it.

“Not at all,” Steve said, looking at Clint. “To be honest, I mainly came tonight so that I could invite you to it.” They stepped in between a couple of parked cars by the curb and onto the street. As they passed under a street light, Clint could see a hint of Steve’s blushing cheeks.

“Really?” Clint asked.

“I wasn’t sure how to ask you to hang out outside of studying so when this came up, I thought it was worth a shot,” Steve explained. “Part of me didn’t think you’d say ‘yes’.”

Now it was Clint’s time to blush. He took a deep breath but didn’t know how to respond. So they walked in silence until they reached the end of the street and turned onto the next.

“I didn’t realize you were interested in hanging out with me,” Clint said.

Steve chuckled. “I guess me driving up to your archery tournament didn’t make it clear enough?” Steve turned to Clint and locked eyes with him.

Clint dropped his gaze and kicked a small rock in his path. He started getting the feeling Steve was interested in more than just “hanging out.” Maybe Natasha was right after all.

Steve took a deep breath and looked up at the semi-cloudy night sky. “I like you, Clint. I mean, _really_ like you. It’s taken me the past month to work up the courage to even tell you.” He slowly looked back down at Clint, who was staring straight ahead of them. “Please, say something.”

Clint felt his chest tighten up at Steve’s confession. He didn’t know what to say. This was both the best and worst thing Steve could have said to him right now. Yes, he’d been pining after Steve for most of the semester but he never thought anything would come of it. Even though this was what he wanted, his insecurities began to take hold. “But you don’t know me,” he said, his voice tight.

“No, I don’t know everything about you but I would like to have the chance if you let me. I know you’re easy going and like to make jokes. You’re ridiculously good at archery and you’re smarter than you think you are,” Steve said, looking at him seriously.

Clint shook his head. There’s no way Steve would want anything to do with him if he knew everything Clint was hiding. “No, trust me. You don’t want to know more. I’ve had a shit life ever since I lost my parents when I was five. Everything around me always seems to go wrong. I’ll only drag you down.”

“I doubt that. I lost my parents, too, when I was younger,” Steve interjected.

Clint sighed. Steve just wasn’t getting it. “Yeah but I’m sure it wasn’t because your dad got drunk and wrecked the car on the way home with your mom in the car,” Clint replied, his voice raising. Despite it being so long ago, it still hurt. He could care less about his abusive father but he missed his mom.

Steve came to a stop, his face fallen as he gazed at Clint. “I’m…so sorry, Clint. I didn’t mean to –”

Clint stopped in his tracks. “Just don’t, Steve. Please, don’t look at me like that,” he said. Steve was giving him that pitiful look he did not want to see from him. This is why he didn’t want to bring it up but he wasn’t able to hold it in. He needed to get off this topic. “I’m the last person you should be with and you deserve better. You’re such an unbelievably kind person that you went out of your way to help a complete stranger. You have so many great friends and have a good life. I’m a _nobody_. There’s nothing great about me except my archery. That’s the only thing I have going for me in life. The training I’ve put in is the only thing that makes me special. And if I’m not special, then none of this matters.” He heard his voice break as he admitted his biggest insecurity but he was past the point of caring now.

“Is that really what you think about yourself?” Steve asked, his voice quiet. His face changed from his pitying expression to something Clint couldn’t quite make out in the dim street lighting.

Clint took a moment to breath as he ran his hand through his hair, trying to calm himself before responding, “It’s all I’ve ever known since growing up. All I’ve had people tell is that I would amount to nothing when I grew up. No one believed in me. It’s why I came to school all the way out here to get as far away from Iowa as I could. But it didn’t help. I’m still the same mess of a person.”

Steve closed the distance between them and gently placed his hand on Clint’s shoulder. “That doesn’t matter to me, Clint. There’s nothing wrong with you and I’m sorry that so many people have hurt you but I want to –”

“Fix me? You gonna fix me, Steve? That’s not the first time I’ve heard that,” Clint said, jerking his shoulder from Steve’s grasp.

Steve’s brows furrowed as Clint pulled away from him. “That’s not what I was going to say. What I was going to say was that I would be there as support. Everyone needs it and will to be there for you. I want you to be happy, Clint, and I want to help you achieve that,” he said.

Clint gazed at Steve and saw how sincere he was but he couldn’t give in. He didn’t want to ruin Steve’s life. “No, Steve. It doesn’t matter. I just…I can’t deal with this right now,” he said. Clint gave him once last glance before turning and walking away.

“Clint, can we please talk about this?” Steve asked, following after him.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Clint replied, not stopping.

Steve wasn’t letting up. “Look, I thought we were friends and that maybe you liked me, too. I don’t understand why you’re reacting this way,” Steve said, his voice sounding desperate and maybe even hurt.

Clint abruptly stopped, causing Steve to nearly walk into him, and he turned back to face Steve. “I was only using you to pass my classes, okay? That’s all it was,” he lied. His words cut Steve dep and Clint hated being the cause of such hurt on Steve’s face, but he knew it was the best way to end the conversation. Without waiting for a response, Clint turned around and continued down the street. He had to get away from Steve now. He heard Steve call after him which caused him to break out in a run. Clint ignored the couple of tears that rolled down his cheeks.

 _Way to go, Clint, just running away from his problems as usual_ , he thought. That’s one of the only ways he knew how to handle things since he was a kid. When things got bad at the foster homes, Barney and him took off. It usually didn’t last long before they were caught but it was the only time they felt like they had some kind of control of their lives. So that’s what Clint did, he ran away from his problems.

When he no longer heard Steve behind him, Clint’s pace slowed down until he came to a stop. He took a few heavy breaths as he looked around his surroundings. He had no idea where he was nor how to get back to the party, not that he wanted to go back there and see Steve. He pulled out his phone, ignoring the missed calls and texts from Steve, and called Natasha. “Nat, I need you to come pick me up,” he said as soon as she answered.

“Is something wrong? What happened?” she asked. She keeping cool but Clint herd the hint of alarm in her voice.

“I’m fine,” he quickly reassured her. He should have known calling like this after midnight would cause alarm.  “But just need to get out of here.”

“Where are you?” she asked. Clint heard the door slam on the other end.

Clint sighed, realizing he had no idea where he was. “I don’t know. Hold on.” He turned around to look for the nearest street sign and answered, “I’m at Vine and Spring Street if that helps.”

“Just stay there and I’ll find you. I’ll call when I’m close,” Natasha said.

“Thanks, Nat,” Clint said before ending the call.

It took Natasha about twenty minutes to find him. She gave him a questioning look as he slid into the car but she didn’t say anything. Clint leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes as she pulled away. He felt his phone vibrate and he glanced at it to see another text message from Steve. He ignored it and put the phone back in his jacket pocket.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Natasha asked a couple of minutes later.

“Not tonight.” Or ever if Clint had his way.


	4. Chapter 4

Clint didn’t talk to Natasha or anyone else for the rest of the weekend. He barely got out of bed or left his dorm room. Natasha and Kate dropped by to check on him but he wouldn’t even answer the door, too ashamed of himself. They got the hint he didn’t want to talk and they didn’t bother returning. Steve tried texting him some more but Clint couldn’t bring himself to reply or even read the messages. After a while, he turned off his phone and removed his hearing aids; wanting nothing more than to ignore the world.

When it came time for classes on Monday, Clint was tempted to just skip them but since it was the last full week of classes, he knew he couldn’t afford it. That didn’t mean he had to be on time though. Once he finally dragged himself out of bed, Clint was late to American History.

Clint snuck into class late, taking his old usual seat in the back. He hadn’t sat back there in a while since Steve had taken to saving him a seat next to him. He couldn’t help but look down to where Steve was sitting but the other kept his eyes straight ahead of him. Bucky on the other hand was glaring right back at him. He must have known what happened Friday night. Clint held his gaze for a moment before looking away. If he could just get through the next week and a half, he wouldn’t have to see Steve again. Hopefully then everything would be okay.

Once class was over, Clint waited until Steve had left the room before he exited. As he stepped out into the hall, part of him was disappointed that Steve wasn’t waiting for him although he wouldn’t have known what to say to him if he had. However, Bucky was leaning against the opposite wall with his arms crossed and a pissed off expression on his face. He looked very intimidating when angry. Clint started walking away when Bucky called out, “Hey, Barton.”

Clint stopped and looked at him. “What do you want?”

“You’ve got some nerve for treating Steve the way you did,” Bucky replied.

“He told you what happened?” Clint asked.

“Not all of it but he didn’t have to for me to see how bad you hurt him,” Bucky said. He uncrossed his arms and walked toward Clint. “I don’t appreciate people treating my best friend that way.”

For a second, Clint thought he was about to get punched by the look Bucky gave him. Honestly, he felt like he deserved it.

“I hope you’re happy with yourself,” Bucky said, coldly and narrowed his eyes.

Clint tried not to laugh because he was certain Bucky would punch him then. “You think I’m happy about this? But I’m glad to see Steve has a friend to look after him.” Bucky stared at him, confused, but didn’t say anything. “I’ve got to get to my next class. It was _nice_ chatting with you.”

Bucky watched Clint walk away without another word and Clint was thankful for that.

 

The last week and a half passed without any further incidents. Clint was relieved to finish off the semester and pass all of his classes, guaranteeing he’d keep his archery scholarship. He even passed the history final with a B+ though he didn’t feel too happy about it.

He also didn’t talked to Steve.

 

Once the semester was over, Clint moved into an apartment with Natasha so he’d have a place to stay during the summer. She wanted to get an apartment and he didn’t want to go back to Iowa so it worked out well for them. They made good roommates, even though Natasha nagged him for leaving empty pizza boxes around. He enjoyed living with his best friend until she brought up Steve a couple of weeks later.

They were curled up on the couch together, a blanket over their laps with a large bowl of popcorn, as they watched Natasha’s movie pick, _War Games._

“So, are you going to tell me what happened that night of the party or are you going to keep moping around the apartment? I can’t deal with you beating yourself up like this all summer,” she said.

Clint took a moment before replying. He knew she would bring this up eventually but that didn’t mean he wanted to talk it even if it had been nearly a month since it happened. “Steve admitted he liked me and I panicked. In true Clint Barton fashion, I screwed everything up between us.”  

“Do you think talking to him would help?” Natasha asked. Clint shook his head. “How do you know if you won’t try?” she asked, exasperated. It’s not like she was asking him to save the world.

“It probably won’t do any good after I told him I only used him to pass my class,” Clint said.

“You said what? Why?” Natasha turned to him, almost knocking her bowl of popcorn in the floor.

Clint ignored looking at her. He’d been asking himself the same thing since that night. “I don’t know why I said it, okay? I guess it was my way to push him away like you said I do.”

“And you haven’t talked to him since?”

“No. He did text me that weekend but I ignored him. I didn’t know what to say. He was so hurt and it was because of me. His friend Bucky even confronted me about it the Monday after, telling me how upset Steve was about it,” Clint said, glancing over at her. “I doubt he’ll ever want to see me again now.”

Natasha was quite for moment. “Did Bucky tell you Steve didn’t want to see you again?”

“No, that’s just the impression I got from him,” he replied.

“Do you still have feelings for him?” Natasha asked, her tone gentle as she looked at him.

“Of course I do. Why do you think I’m still acting this way?” he asked, throwing his hands into the air. “I really like him, Natasha, and that hasn’t changed.”

Natasha nodded but didn’t say anything as she turned her attention back to the movie. Clint thought it was odd but was more than fine with dropping the conversation. Talking about it didn’t make him feel any better. It actually made him feel a little worse after seeing Natasha’s reactions to what happened. He could tell she was disappointed him even if she didn’t say it, which was fine. He was still disappointed in himself.

A couple of minutes later, he noticed Natasha grab her phone from the coffee table and text someone. She wasn’t one to text while they watched something but he let it go and kept his focus on the movie.

* * *

 

As summer passed, Clint started feeling better. Natasha and Kate forcing him out of the apartment helped but he still thought about Steve. Every now and then, he would catch himself picking up his phone to text Steve. But every time he did, he stopped and deleted the message. It had been a couple of months since they last spoke and he wasn’t sure how Steve felt about him now or whether he even wanted to talk to Clint. He couldn’t fault Steve if that’s how he felt but Clint couldn’t bring himself to find out for sure.

While the break started out uneventful, Clint had one of the best things happen to him toward the middle of July.

“You brought home a dog?” Natasha asked. She crossed her arms and looked down at the bandaged up dog. “What happened to him? And what happened to you? You look like shit,” she said as she looked back up at him. He had a busted lip and a nice black eye forming.

“Thanks for the concern, Nat, I’m fine. This little guy got hurt trying to save me from some attackers,” Clint answered.

“And why didn’t you call me?” she asked, her voice rising with anger but Clint could see the concern in her eyes.

“I’m okay, it wasn’t that big of a thing. I can take care of myself you know. It started when I saw this group of guys mistreating this dog so I stepped in to stop them. When I did, they all turned on me. The dog jumped in and started attacking them to get them off me. That didn’t turn out so well as he was knocked into traffic,” Clint replied. He remembered how his heart nearly stopped when he saw the poor dog hit by a car. He thought it was all over then.

He moved past Natasha and into the kitchen. He got down a bowl from the cupboard, stifling a groan from his sore ribs, and filled it with water. Natasha and the dog soon followed him. “He was hurt pretty bad but thankfully the car didn’t kill him. Even though he was one of theirs, the men just left him there so I took him to the vet and waited til they were done,” he said, setting the bowl on floor.

The dog slowly limped to the bowl and started to drink. Natasha looked down at him with pity. “Well, I’m glad you both walked away from it,” she said. Clint could tell she was already warming up to the dog “Is he going to be okay?”

Clint leaned against the counter and crossed his arms against his chest. “Yeah, the vet said he should after he heals. He lost the ability to see out of his left eye though.”

“Poor guy. What’s his name?”

“His tag said ‘Arrow’ but that’s got to go.”

“Really? You don’t want a dog named Arrow?” Natasha grinned up at him.

Clint laughed, shaking his head. “Hell no. I was thinking about calling him Lucky.”

“Lucky?” Natasha said, looking back down at the dog. “I like it. That’s fits him.”

Clint smiled and for once in his life, he felt like he did something right.

 

Lucky became a huge part of Clint’s life after that. Having him around was a good distraction from sitting around and thinking about Steve. While Natasha didn’t outwardly show it around Clint, she grew to love the dog too. It soon became normal for him to come home and find the two of them curled up on the couch together while Natasha watched TV. It also became habit for her to scold Clint for feeding Lucky pizza all the time.

“But he likes it, Natasha,” Clint would say.

“He’s a dog, Clint. He would eat pretty much anything you put in front of him and he needs to more than just that or he’ll get sick,” she would reply.

It was a never ending argument.

 

Before Clint knew it, the fall semester was starting back. He was hopeful this would be a better school year. He kept his archery scholarship and was glad to not in a dorm this semester or have eight AM classes. He did wonder if he would run into Steve on campus. He had checked his class rosters to see if Steve happened to be in any of them but he wasn’t. Clint expected Natasha to bring him up but she hadn’t mentioned Steve since she asked about it a couple of months ago.

It was easier for Clint to get back into the rhythm of classes and practice this semester and he was glad for that. It was into the third week of classes and Clint had a free day while Natasha had a late morning class.  Since he didn’t have anything to do, he decided to take Lucky to campus while he waited for her to get out of class. The weather was nice and figured it would be good to get him and Lucky out of the apartment. Clint felt bad for the dog to be stuck alone in the apartment most of the day while him and Natasha were in class.

Lucky seemed to be enjoying their trip out. He received lots of attention as they walked across campus and he ate it all up. Clint didn’t mind people petting him as long as Lucky was comfortable with it. Eventually, they were able to make it over to one of the open, grassy areas on campus so they could play fetch. Or rather attempt to play it. Lucky wasn’t too interested in running around so Clint ended up doing more of the fetching. He called it quits after he realized Lucky was not going to go after the tennis ball and sat down next to him.

As Clint sat there checking his phone, he noticed a shadow cast over him. He figured it was just another student coming to ask if they could pet Lucky. He glanced up to see Steve, hesitantly looked down at him.

“Hi,” Steve said, nervously tugging at his backpack strap.

“Hey,” Clint said. After spending the whole summer thinking about what he would say to Steve, he was now at a loss for words.

Thankfully, Steve spoke to keep it from getting too awkward. He knelt down in front of Lucky and held his hand out for the dog to sniff, before attempting to pet him. “Is this okay?” he asked Clint.

“Yeah, go ahead. He loves the attention.”

Lucky leaned his head into Steve’s hand. “What’s his name?” Steve asked, keeping his eyes on the dog.

“Lucky,” Clint answered, keeping his eyes on Steve.

“He’s a sweet one. How long have you had him?” Steve asked.

Clint smiled as he watched Lucky roll onto his back so that Steve could rub his belly. “Since July,” he replied as Steve rubbed Lucky’s belly. It was endearing to watch. “How was your summer?” he asked, trying to find a neutral topic to keep the conversation going.

“Not too bad. I didn’t have a whole lot to do,” Steve replied, glancing at Clint. “How about yours?”

Clint shrugged one shoulder and said, “It was okay. Besides moving in with Natasha and finding Lucky, nothing else really happened.” Despite their light tone, Clint could still feel the tension between them. It didn’t take a genius to explain why but he didn’t know what to do about it. “I’m sorry,” he ended up blurting out.

Steve stared back at him for a moment as he stopped petting Lucky, then asked, “Sorry for the things you said, running away from me or for not talking to me for months?” There was no malice in his voice but Clint still felt a sting to his words.

“I’m sorry for all of it,” Clint replied. He was surprised to see that Steve wasn’t yelling at him or even mad. This isn’t at all how he would imagine their first time seeing each other go.

Steve nodded before dropping his gaze as he shifted to a more comfortable sitting position on the ground. “I’m not going to lie and say it’s all fine because you did hurt me, Clint. I can’t pretend like everything is completely fine.” Clint’s heart began to sink as Steve said that. “But,” he continued. “I’m willing to accept your apology and start over.”

Clint stared at Steve, eyes widening. He hadn’t expected this. “Why are you offering me another chance? I figured you’d tell me to go to hell or something.”

Steve chuckled. “You should know I wouldn’t tell anyone that but after you see things from a new perspective, it helps you understand the situation better.”

“What do you mean?” Clint asked, his brows creasing.

Steve’s smile faded. “I guess you don’t know that I’ve been talking to Natasha since the end of the semester and most of summer,” he said, giving him a sheepish look. Clint shook his head. “Well, she explained some things for me. I can tell she really cares about you to go through it all with me,” Steve explained.

“How did you two end up talking?” Clint asked.

“It all started that night after the party when you ignored my texts. I checked in with her to make sure you got home okay since I assumed you’d call her to get you. From there, I didn’t talk to her until after the semester had ended.”

“So, the two of you were talking about me behind my back?” Clint asked, frowning.

“Yes, but not in a bad way. She was only trying to help.”

Clint nodded but he still wasn’t satisfied. He was asking Natasha about this when she got out of class to find out what exactly she said to Steve. He couldn’t believe she went behind his back and did something like this; even if it was her way of helping.

“What I’m trying to get around to is, I came over here and wanted to see if you wanted to get coffee with me so we can talk things over?” Steve continued. “You don’t have to but I just wanted to try since things ended badly last time. I’m not expecting anything else to happen between us or that we have to see each other again afterwards if that’s what you want. I just want the chance to talk things over.”

Clint didn’t reply right away and found the grass more interesting to stare at than Steve right now. This was exactly what he wanted, a chance to try again. He was still anxious about the whole thing but it was just to talk. Clint could handle that. It certainly couldn’t be worse than the last time. “Okay, I think that would be good,” he said, glancing back up at Steve.

Steve’s face lit up. “All right then how about tomorrow morning around ten? Is that too soon?”

“No, that’ll be good. I’ll be out of class then and have some free time,” Clint replied. If they waited any longer, he’d probably talk himself out of going through with it so the sooner the better.

“I look forward to it then,” Steve said. He gave Lucky one last rub on the head before standing up. “I’ll let you get back to what you were doing. It was good seeing you, Clint.”

“You too, Steve. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Steve waved goodbye before turning and leaving. Clint watched him walk away, a smile was on his lips. He wasn’t sure how things would go tomorrow but he was felt hopeful. Maybe things were beginning to turn around for him.


	5. Chapter 5

Three Years Later

 

The alarm buzzed at five AM. Clint stirred in his sleep and groaned, making no intention of turning off the alarm. Steve leaned over him and hit the snooze button for him.

“Clint, it’s time to get up,” he said, softly, propping himself up on his elbow as he looked down at Clint.

Clint groaned again and scooted closer to Steve. “I don’t wanna,” he mumbled, his voice still heavy with sleep.

Steve smiled down at him as he rubbed his hand up and down Clint’s arm. “I know you don’t want to get up but you aren’t going to get to the Olympics with that attitude.”

“Bet I could,” Clint retorted, cracking his eyes open to look up at Steve. Even after living together for over six months, he still was annoyed by how much of a morning person Steve was. No one should be this awake this early in the morning. “Five more minutes,” he said, closing his eyes.

“Okay, five more minutes,” Steve said, adjusting his position so that he was laying back down with his arm comfortably wrapped around Clint’s waist.

Clint snuggled close to Steve’s chest. He loved morning time cuddles. They didn’t happen often since Steve was either already up or Clint didn’t have time with his recent practice schedule. He missed just being able to spend time in each other’s arms before having to get up.

It was nice and peaceful for them until Lucky decided to join them in the bed. The dog jumped up on Steve’s side and climbed over him so he could lay in between their legs. It wasn’t long before the alarm went off again. Clint sighed. It was obvious he wasn’t getting anymore rest. He sat up and turned the alarm off although he was tempted to throw it across the room. He raised his arms above his head for a quick stretch, feeling his back pop.

Steve sat up and scooted up behind Clint. “You get ready. I’ll take care of Lucky and the coffee,” he said, leaning in and kissing him on the cheek.

“Thanks,” Clint said. When Steve moved away, Clint stood up and made his way into the bathroom.

Steve slid out of bed and grabbed his pair of sweatpants off the floor, pulling them on. “Come on, Lucky.”

Lucky jumped down off the bed and followed him into the kitchen. Steve quickly started a pot a coffee before taking Lucky outside.

Steve and Lucky were back inside before Clint stepped out of the bedroom dressed. Steve was finishing breakfast as he stepped into the kitchen and he headed straight for the coffee. Clint glanced over at Steve as he took a sip. Despite the time they’ve lived together, Clint was still getting used to how domestic it all was between them. He never thought his life would end up this way. He still had his doubts from time to time that this would all fall apart in a fiery blaze, but for now it was all good.

Steve finished cooking the bacon and slid it on the plate next to the eggs. The toast popped up a second later and Steve grabbed them, adding the slices to the plate. He picked up the plate and turned to Clint. “What is it?” he asked, noticing Clint’s thoughtful expression.

“Hm?” Clint took the plate from Steve and turned toward the small table.

“You had this look on your face like you were thinking about something,” Steve said, filling up his own plate.

“It was nothing,” Clint said as Steve joined him at the table. It wasn’t anything worth repeating.

Steve let it go, not bothering to press the matter any further. They ate in comfortable silence throughout breakfast. Clint finished a second cup of coffee before grabbing his bag to leave.

“I’ll see you later tonight. If practice runs late, I’ll text. Love you,” Clint said, heading to the door.

Steve followed him to the door. “Love you, too.” He grabbed Clint’s rest and pulled him in for a goodbye kiss.

Clint leaned into the kiss but soon pulled away. If he didn’t leave now, he’d be late and his couch wouldn’t be happy that. He gave Lucky a pet on the head before stepping out the door.

Once he was gone, Steve ran to their bedroom. He went to the closet and started pulling various things out. Soon, he found what he was looking for. Steve opened the small, black box and gazed at the silver band inside. Today was the day.

 

Clint was exhausted when he returned home that evening from practice. He was looking forward to his day off the following day. He just wanted to curl up in bed with Steve and sleep.

“Steve, I’m home,” he called out, flipping on the lights. The apartment was oddly quiet. “Steve, you here? Lucky, come here boy.”

Silence.

Steve usually texted him if he wasn’t going to be home when he was at practice and it was weird Lucky wasn’t at home. Just as Clint was about to pull out his phone to call Steve, he saw a note on the coffee table. He dropped his bag on the couch and walked around it to pick it up.

_“I took Lucky down to the park for a walk. Come and join us when you’re home. -S”_

Clint set the note back down and sent Steve a quick text to let him know he would meet him there after a quick shower.

 

It was a warm summer night as Clint reached the nearby park they always took Lucky to. He headed straight to their favorite spot and found Steve sitting on a bench, waiting for him. Lucky was at his feet and his head perked up when he saw Clint approach. Steve looked over when he heard him. He rose from the bench and gave Clint a hug and peck on the lips.

“How was your day?” Steve asked, pulling away.

“Tiring but otherwise okay. You?” Clint asked, bending over to pet Lucky, who’d stood up as well.

“It wasn’t too bad,” Steve said, sticking his hands into his pockets.

Clint looked back up from him after petting Lukcy. “Just decided to come out for an evening walk?”

Steve shrugged. “Lucky was a little restless today and I wanted to get out of the apartment as well,” he answered.

Clint frowned and said, “I hate having to spend so much time away from you guys.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it. I’m happy you’re doing this. You’re following your Olympic dream,” Steve said, smiling. It honestly didn’t bother him at all. He was happy Clint was doing this.

Clint wrapped his arms around Steve’s neck. “And I’m going to make it all up to you when I get back from Rio. I wouldn’t have even made it this far without your support,” he said, gazing up at him. Clint really couldn’t have done it without him. Yes, Natasha was a big supporter too but Steve was the one to get him out of bed in the morning and actually go to practice every day. He made him coffee and breakfast and was there at night to help him relax when he came home from practice.

Steve leaned his forehead down against Clint’s as he wrapped his arms around his waist. “You don’t have to do anything for me. I just want you to go down there and have a good first time.”

“Oh, I’m doing more than that. I’m bringing home the Gold. We both know that’s mine,” Clint said, grinning.

“I have no doubt about that. But I’m hoping silver might be your color as well,” Steve said. He slowly pulled away from Clint, who gave him a questioning look. Steve reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring as he knelt down on one knee.

“Steve, what are you doing?” Clint asked, glancing from his face to his hand.

“Clint, I knew since that first night I saw you in the library, something special was going to happen between us. While we may have had a rough start at it, we were able to work past that. I’m glad we did because here we are nearly three years later and still together.” Steve paused for a moment as he looked at his hand and held out the ring so that Clint could see it. “I’m hoping to make it many more years to come. Clint, will you marry me?” he asked. Steve stared up at Clint and held his breath as he waited for his answer.

Clint didn’t even have to think about it. “Yes!” he exclaimed.

Steve took Clint’s hand and with his own shaking hand, slid it onto Clint’s finger and rose up from the ground. Clint threw himself at Steve with so much force, he almost knocked them over, as he wrapped his arms around his neck. Their kiss was a little sloppy but neither cared.

Steve was the first to pull away. “I think we should continue this back at the apartment, don’t you think?”

Clint nodded. Steve grabbed Lucky’s lease and they all but ran back to their apartment. Once the door was closed, the clothes immediately started coming off, leaving a trail to the bedroom.  Clint kicked the door shut to keep Lucky out before Steve pulled him down on the bed. Despite how tired Clint was when he first got home, he was wide awake now.

 

A couple of hours later, Clint laid curled up in Steve’s arms. He didn’t even know how he was still awake right now. Steve’s breathing had already evened out and Clint was sure he was asleep. He raised his left hand up, looking at his ring as it caught the light that was coming in through the curtains. It was now starting to sink in what just happened tonight. Clint didn’t care if he won Gold at the Olympics even though that’s all he’s thought about for years. He never felt happier in his whole life than he did right now.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I chickened out at the end and skipped over the smut. Just use your imaginations for what happened there. I also love the Olympics and to sneak a mention of it into this.
> 
> If you stuck through this fic, thank you! I hope you enjoyed it and it wasn't a horrible mess. 
> 
> If you want to reblog on tumblr, use this [post]().


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